Bruno Bastos, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 5th-degree black belt, said the market has exceeded his teenage expectations, and that he and his friends never imagined partnering with a cruise company to teach jiu-jitsu while traveling the Caribbean. Bastos was a guest on a recent episode of the Best of Midland Podcast.
"Here in Midland, there was Jiu-Jitsu, but in MMA schools; it wasn’t like a Jiu-Jitsu program itself, like a Jiu-Jitsu school," said Bastos on a recent edition of the Best of Midland Podcast. "If I go back to when I was a teenager and chose to make a living for Jiu-Jitsu, okay, back then I was like, okay, I can have a Jiu-Jitsu academy and once I become a blackbelt, I have to make sure that I defend Jiu-Jitsu on a valid basis to build my name.”
“I was on a cruise a couple of months ago teaching Jiu-Jitsu for a whole week, and then I was talking to all of my friends who were teaching as well,” Bastos said. “We have known each other since the 90s, and they were like, 'In the 90s, we would never have imagined that we would have a company partnering up with a cruise company.’"
Bastos, a 5th-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is known for his achievements in the sport and his leadership roles. He was a key member of the Nova Uniao team before founding his own Bruno Bastos Association in 2014 and later the LEAD Team.
Best of Midland Podcast is hosted by Ryan Shewchuk and Terra Avery. It is an extension of the broader Best of Midland program, which aims to support small, local businesses by showcasing them and the people behind them. Their website lists top businesses and upcoming live events happening in the area.
The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.